1
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy
having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
was granted special status as a self-ruling province
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Recent Examples of self-ruling
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—
Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
Adjective
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Presenting as Muslim perhaps exempted him from comparisons to 2020 Democratic Congressional candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni from Texas, who used his polyglot skills to reach a wide array of voters, but was chastised for seemingly pandering to Hindu conservatives.—
Alexandra Bregman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Three Republicans opposed the measure — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky — alongside every Democratic senator.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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When Quaker acquired the quirky beverage brand for $1.7 billion, Snapple had built its success on unconventional marketing and distribution through small, independent distributors that matched its authentic, anti-establishment brand identity.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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It was again considered in 2008 and then, in 2014, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) — a group of independent experts that advises the WHO — took it up.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Some states have worked toward laws that mandate human operators in autonomous vehicles; others have fought against the proliferation of deepfakes flooding the internet; some have taken on data privacy and more.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
1 July 2025
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Tesla’s autonomous ride hailing service went live just over a week ago with nearly a dozen robotaxis shuttling passengers in downtown Austin.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The African Union is set to launch its own credit ratings agency this year to help challenge the establishment with additional transparency for African sovereign ratings.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
1 July 2025
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The company’s pre-IPO investors include Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Organizations are shifting language, realigning DEI to business outcomes, and measuring impact to weave it into their core operations rather than treating it as a separate initiative.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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But under Taiwan's constitution, mainland China is not treated as a fully separate country.—
Ashish Valentine,
NPR,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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